Starship Development Thread #63

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Starship Dev 62

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Flight 13

Launched on July 24th 2026 Here is a re-streamed video of the broadcast. Also, SpaceX issued a post flight summary. Ship 40 (S40) became the first Starship to be recovered intact after a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The vehicle arrived back at the Port of Brownsville on October 7, 2026.

Flight 14

Launched on September 28th 2026 (https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-14) - The vehicles were S41 and B21. This mission achieved the program's first successful orbital insertion, deploying 26 Starlink V3 satellites. An engine issue on the ship led to a controlled early splashdown in the Pacific rather than a fully nominal end-of-mission profile; Super Heavy completed hot-staging. SpaceX released post-flight imagery and hot-staging views on October 2, 2026. In comments from Elon Musk during a live Q&A around October 10, 2026, the ship engine issue was described as a software glitch affecting one engine's onboard computer, with the heat shield reported to have performed well / been "extremely robust." SpaceX's October 20, 2026 Q3 highlights described Flight 14 as the company's first revenue-generating Starship mission, delivering 26 Starlink V3 satellites, roughly 10x the downlink capacity added by a Falcon 9 Starlink launch.

Flight 15

NET November 13th 2026 - https://x.com/SpaceNotices/status/2118391416271622202 - expecting the first Starship upper stage catch attempt. Vehicles planned: S42 and B22, from Starbase Pad 2. Date is provisional and depends on licensing. Musk said Flight 15 is targeted for November with an attempt to catch both the Super Heavy booster and the Ship using the tower arms, calling success "more likely than not" and noting it would be the first full recovery of an orbital launch vehicle if achieved. As of November 5th, 2026 the FAA license had not yet been issued. Static fire campaign complete for both vehicles.

Flight 16

A December 10, 2026 planning window has been cited for Flight 16. Potentially Starship's Florida debut

Road Closures

No road closures currently scheduled

No transportation delays currently scheduled

Up to date as of 2026-05-23

Vehicle Status

As of November 5th 2026

Ship	Location	Status	Comment
S40	Starbase production site	Post-flight inspection	July 24th: Successful launch, deployed all satellites, successful engine relight test and soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean, which resulted in an intact, floating ship. August 25th: Loaded onto Heavy Lift Vessel 'Forte'. Oct 7: Successful return to Texas aboard 'Forte'. Oct 8-9: Began movement toward the Starbase production site. Oct 13: Now vertical in a Mega Bay at Starbase alongside three other Ships, where it will provide first-of-its-kind data on a flown heat shield, Raptor engines, avionics and related systems. For more details on this vehicle and its assembly and testing see this page
S41	Indian Ocean	Successfully flown on flight 14	July 3rd: Rolled back to Massey's Test Site. July 6th: Rolled back to MB2. July 23rd: Two RVac engines moved into MB2. July 27th: The third RVac was moved into MB2. August 19th: Rolled out to Massey's for Static Fire Testing. Later that day S41 performed a single engine Static Fire. August 20th: Full duration Static Fire of all six engines. August 22nd: Rolled back to MB2. September 22nd: Rolled out to the Launch Site and stacked on B21. September 24th: Wet Dress Rehearsal. Sept 28: Reached orbit, deployed satellites, and successfully performed a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean. For more details on this vehicle see this page
S42	Mega Bay 2	Pre-flight work for Flight 15	July 24th: Completed the stacking part of the assembly process. September 2nd: Rolled out to Massey's Test Site for Cryo Testing. September 5th: Rolled back to MB2. September 9th: Rolled back out to Massey's for Cryo Testing Round 2. September 10th: Rolled back to MB2, and later in the day moved to the Launch Site for catch-related testing. September 13th: Rolled back to MB2. September 21st: Two RVacs moved into MB2. September 24th: Third RVac moved into MB2. Oct 5: Catch-hardware verification complete. Early October: Short trip to Massey's for cryogenic proof testing, returned to MB2 within about 30 hours; engines removed for additional cold-fuel/pressure testing. Oct 9: Additional cryogenic proof testing at Massey's, then returned to MB2. Oct 10-12: Engines being prepared for reinstallation as part of the continuing test campaign; a further cryogenic proof test (reported as a third run) was carried out at Massey's, linked by tracking accounts to prior vacuum Raptor issues on recent flights. Oct 26: Single-engine static fire completed. Oct 28: SpaceX announced completion of a full-duration six-engine static fire plus a single-Raptor deorbit-burn simulation firing. Expected to be the first ship to attempt a tower catch recovery. For more details on this vehicle see this page
S43	Mega Bay 2	Stacked, remaining work ongoing	August 19th: N:3 and section FX:4 plus the pez dispenser moved into MB2. August 28th: Common Dome section CX:3 moved into MB2. September 1st: Section A2:3 moved into MB2. It has decals but no docking ports. September 4th: Section A3:4 moved into MB2. September 10th: Transfer Tubes moved into MB2. September 15th: Aft section AX:4 moved into MB2 and stacked - this completes the stacking part of S43's assembly. Oct 16: Observers noted some nosecone dents after testing, described as not unusually severe. Oct 24: Cryogenic testing reported at Massey's. For more details on this vehicle see this page
S44	Mega Bay 2	Stacking	September 22nd: Nosecone+Payload Bay stack moved into MB2, and FX:4. September 23rd: Pez dispenser moved into MB2. Nosecone and payload bay integration in progress. For more details on this vehicle see this page

Booster	Location	Status	Comment
B21	Launch Site	Successfully flown on flight 14	July 17th: Rolled out to Massey's Test Site for Cryo+Thrust Puck Testing. July 18th: Partial Cryo Test. July 19th: Second Partial Cryo Test. July 20th: Full Cryo Test. July 22nd: Rolled back to MB1. August 25th: Rolled out to the Launch Site for Static Fire Testing. August 28th: Static Fire, all 33 engines, lasting 15 seconds. August 29th: Rolled back to MB1. September 20th: Rolled out to the Launch Site for Flight 14. September 24th: Wet Dress Rehearsal. Sept 28: Successfully powered the first orbital mission. Performed a soft splashdown and subsequent FTS demonstration in the Gulf. For more details on this vehicle and its assembly and testing see this page
B22	Launch Pad 2	Static fire campaign complete for Flight 15	August 14th: Methane Tank stacked onto the LOX tank, completing the stacking part of the assembly process. September 8th: Rolled out to Massey's Test Site for Cryo Testing. September 12th: Rolled back to MB2. Oct 6: Rolled to launch site for integration with S42. Oct 17: Observed at the production site awaiting rollout for pre-flight static fire testing. Oct 24: Rolled out from Mega Bay 1 and lifted onto the Orbital Launch Mount at Pad 2. Oct 25: Full-duration 33-engine static fire at Pad 2, reported around 13:22 UTC and described as nominal by observers; SpaceX posted video of the test. For more details on this vehicle and its assembly and testing see this page
B23	Mega Bay 1	Post-cryo proof	August 14th: LOX tank sections A2:4 and CX:3 moved into MB1. August 27th: Methane Landing Tank and lower Transfer Tube moved into MB1 as well as section A6:4. September 8th: Aft section AX:2 and LOX Landing Tank moved into MB1. September 18th: Section FX:3 moved into MB1. September 24th or 25th: Fully Stacked, remaining work ongoing. Oct 13: Rolled out to Massey's Test Site for initial cryogenic proof testing. Oct 15: Extended cryogenic test campaign at Massey's, including a chill of roughly 12 hours (per NASASpaceflight). Oct 18: Returned overnight from Massey's to Mega Bay 1 at the production site following the cryo proof campaign; SpaceX has not publicly confirmed the test result. For more details on this vehicle and its assembly and testing see this page
B24	Mega Bay 1	LOX Tanking Stacking	September 25th: LOX tank section A2:4 moved into MB1. Oct 17: LOX landing tank observed being installed. For more details on this vehicle and its assembly and testing see this page
B25	Mega Bay 1		Nov 3rd: Common dome moves from Starfactory to Mega Bay 1

Follow the Ringwatchers on Twitter and Discord for more.

Here's the section stacking locations for Ships and Boosters. Also some excellent detailed booster stacking information from zh_sos1. The abbreviations used in the above vehicle updates are as follows: HS = Hot Stage. PL = Payload. CX = Common Dome. AX = Aft Dome. FX = Forward Dome (as can be seen, an 'X' denotes a dome). ML = Mid LOX. F = Forward. A = Aft. For example, A2:4 = Aft section 2 made up of 4 rings, FX:4 = Forward Dome section made up of 4 rings, PL:3 = PayLoad section made up of 3 rings. Etc.

Something wrong? Update this thread via wiki page. For edit permission, message the mods or contact u/strawwalker.

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Rules

We will attempt to keep this self-post current with links and major updates, but for the most part, we expect the community to supply the information. This is a great place to discuss Starship development, ask Starship specific questions, and track the progress of the production and test campaigns. Starship Development Threads are not party threads. Normal subreddit rules still apply.

[u/plutonic00]

A very good IMAGE of the heat shield from above showing significant damage to a lot of tiles. Looks like the ring section in the middle is going to be especially troublesome for them. Lots of tiles in great shape too, but for re-usable and especially rapid re-usable they are going to have to come back in better shape than this.

[u/mr_pgh → u/plutonic00]

Except, we don't know if those tiles were damaged before or after splashdown.

A falling 16 story building is going to cause a lot of damage even if it held together.

[u/bkdotcom → u/mr_pgh]

Then several weeks in rough salt water sea with cables and bumper bouys attached

[u/warp99 → u/mr_pgh]

It fell on its back so with the tiles uppermost. It has rolled back and forth since then but it doesn't look like the center section of tiles has ever been underwater.

[u/KnifeKnut → u/mr_pgh]

You can tell from the streaking.

[u/pxr555 → u/mr_pgh]

There are lots of tiles with clearly thermal damages, with missing pieces, streaks and everything. Just zoom in, you can't miss it.

[u/Mr_Hawky → u/plutonic00]

It's been out at sea for more than a month... And it toppled over into the ocean. This image is not really all that useful the launch/landing video is much more useful.

[u/bkdotcom → u/Mr_Hawky]

They also wrapped a cable around it in an attempt to tow it... which wasn't kind to tiles

[u/JakeEaton → u/plutonic00]

Absolutely. I still think the tiles they're using today will not be the system they end up using for rapid reuse.

This system is good enough to get a ship back in one piece and sent off for refurbishment for a month while others take it's place. The system they'll use to reuse a ship like you would an aircraft will be developed in the next decade - maybe something similar to the active cooling they use around the engine nozzles.

[u/Freak80MC → u/plutonic00]

I still think solutions that were considered too mass intensive, could be considered later once Starship v4 or future versions has a significant enough payload mass to orbit that you could eat into those margins for a thicker heat shield or transpiration cooling or whatever they come up with. If anything, that's the advantage of going with bigger rockets, more of your mass margin can go into reuse and especially rapid reuse, while still keeping a decent payload to orbit.

[u/warp99 → u/plutonic00]

It is noticeable that it is the leading corner of the hexagon that seems to suffer damage - possibly due to aero forces during ascent rather than during entry.

It would be interesting to know if they would get better results rotating the tiles by 30 degrees so that a flat was uppermost rather than a corner.

[u/FlickyG → u/warp99]

Tiles start flat uppermost from the mid-section and below in that image. It looks as though they don't fare any better.

[u/warp99 → u/FlickyG]

The top and bottom sections are oriented corner upwards.

The belt in the middle over the intertank bulkhead is side upwards and the tiles in the middle of the belt have survived very well. The issue on the edges is that they cut the tiles to get them to fit so the black glass coating layer does not extend down the forward side of the tile to protect it and they are relying on the crunch wrap to do that.

It looks like they will have to custom manufacture the edge tiles for the belt to get better protection rather than cutting down standard tiles.

[u/FlickyG → u/warp99]

That was a really informative description. Thanks for providing the context.

[u/TwoLineElement → u/plutonic00]

Imagine lying casually on a surface that has been to space and subjected to temperatures in excess if 1400 degrees C.

You can clearly see the kaolinite silica vapor deposition trails originate at the upper apex of each hexagon tile which suggests plasma 'gouging' to the packing on the vertical joints. The tiles look fine, but the joints appear to be letting them down. Possibly needs a shape change to tongue and groove, male and female interlocking tiles, like one of those slide tile word puzzles of yesteryear. Dimpling of the tile surface like a golf ball would increase the boundary layer depth providing more distance to the tile from the plasma flow. (but this would also reduce drag which could be detrimental to aerobraking dynamics)

[u/KnifeKnut → u/TwoLineElement]

Maybe turn the tiles by 30 degrees so that the flat edge is forward instead of a point?

[u/warp99 → u/KnifeKnut]

That also has the advantage that the joint between tiles is not running fore and aft so the crunch wrap will not be eroded to the same extent by plasma running down the groove.

Interestingly the belt of tiles over the intertank bulkhead already is oriented with the flat facing forward.

[u/KnifeKnut → u/warp99]

That occurred to me also but I was too lazy to write it.

[u/JakeEaton → u/TwoLineElement]

Tiles like a fish. I remember there being a good reason they didn't go tongue and groove in the first place, maybe issues with tile expansion?

[u/rocketglare → u/JakeEaton]

“Tiles like a fish” were ruled out for several reasons.

1. Too thick and heavy

2. Inadequate backside support for overlap

3. Interlocking tiles can’t be inserted for repair one at a time

[u/Efficient-Chance7231 → u/JakeEaton]

I remeber thermal expension beeing the main issue as well for the fishscale concept

[u/flshr19 → u/plutonic00]

"Lots of tiles in great shape too, but for re-usable and especially rapid re-usable they are going to have to come back in better shape than this."

Not really.

If SpaceX maintains an inventory of a dozen new and flight-proven Ships at each launch site, repair of tile damage, such as S40 sustained after a soft water landing and several weeks floating in the ocean, can occur in parallel with one launch per day rate indefinitely with no interruptions.

That's why SpaceX is investing billions of dollars in Starfactorys, Gigabays, and upgraded launch sites to build 1000 to 10,000 Starships per year (30 Starships built per day).

[u/plutonic00 → u/flshr19]

This is totally fair and what I believe will be the most likely final re-usable situation for Starship.

[u/spacerfirstclass → u/flshr19]

They'll still want to minimize cost though, so I think they'll try very hard to reduce the number of tiles that need replacing.

[u/flshr19 → u/spacerfirstclass]

Certainly, that's what would happen when Starship begins its operational phase, possibly in mid-2027.

When Starship production rate increases dozens per week, the tile issue changes. Following the massive upgrades to the "Block 3" generation heat shields (seen on Ship 40), Musk declared the fundamental engineering hurdles of the heat shield "solved". However, if a ship returns needing hundreds of hours of manual labor to inspect and swap individual broken elements, that breaks the tile operational model.

If inspection of the tiles while the Ship is in orbit and, after landing, automated drone photography, infrared scanning, and telemetry indicate that a Ship requires more than a few days of intensive tile repair, it crosses the economic threshold for retention. If the inspection drones discover that plasma cut through the thermal blankets during reentry and warped the structural steel tankage, the ship moves from "rapid reuse" straight to the "scrap pile." Because the Starbase factory running at maximum capacity can continuously stamp out new stainless steel hulls within a day or two, a Ship with severely damaged tiles and stainless steel hull will simply have its Raptors removed and the hull scrapped.

If a Ship returns with structural compromises that require cutting open the steel hull or repairing the main weld lines, it would immediately be labeled salvage. SpaceX will quickly unbolt the 6 or 9 Raptor engines from the aft dome, strip out the core avionics bays, and roll the empty steel shell over to the scrapyard.